Boeing executive seeing upward pressure on 737 production rates

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Boeing is experiencing upward pressure on production rates of its 737 single-aisle passenger jet, a senior executive said on Tuesday.

“There is upward pressure (on production rates) because we are oversold,” Marketing Vice President Randy Tinseth told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

“If you want a (737) MAX today, we are talking 2023,” he added, referring to the waiting time for new jets.

Boeing currently produces 47 of its best-selling narrowbody aircraft per month and is heading towards 57 next year. Airbus is increasing production to 60 per month by mid-2019, amid recent strong demand for new aircraft.

Engine maker CFM, which supplies both Boeing and Airbus, said last month that planemakers had begun asking about its ability to support higher production rates.